Well, let's see. 7+ years ago, I went to a regional with top-of-the-industry pay rates and phenomenal growth. Advanced rapidly but not enough to upgrade until 5.5 years. Downgraded after 7 months, 300 hours PIC. After 300+ furloughs and the loss of 40% of our fleet, I'm senior to 25% of our remaining pilots.

Yay?

Of course, had I gone to a lower-tier regional and upgraded quickly, I could be furloughed from a major by now...